Extraction of fatty matter from garbage and other fat-containing materials



V. BREDLIK AND L. C. WHITON, JR. EXTRACTION 0F FATTY MATTER FROM GARBAGE AND OTHER FAT CONTAINING MATERIALS APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1919.

1,872,437 9. Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

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An object of the present invention is to UNITED sums-m QFFICE,

VLADIMIR BREDLIK AND LOUIS G. WHITON, JR., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EXTRACTION or FATTY M TTER. FROM GARBAGE AND OTHER FAT-CONTAINING To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, VLADIMIR BREDLIK, a citizen of the Republic of Czecho-blovakia, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, and LOUIS C; WHITON, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful I m rovements in the Extraction of Fatty atter from -Garbage and other Fat-Containing Materials, of which the following is a speci- This invention relates to the extraction of grease, fats and oils from garbage, slaughter house refuse, and grease, oil or fat-containing materials; and comprises a process of. extract ng such fats and 0115 under varying pressure witha. suitable solvent without sub jecting the material under treatment to a heat sufiicient to injure the fate and oils contained therein.

It is customary in present practice to subject the refuse to a preliminary heating or drying before the extraction step, one of the primary objects being to render or rup ture the cellular structure of the material. The temperature frequently reached in this preliminary heating is such that the grease and oils commence to decompose, the result being an extract dark in color, and inferior obtain an efficient extraction of the fats and garbage as possible.

oils previous to any heat treatment, and to thereby obtain a product of higher quality than that ordinaril roduced; p I

Another object o t e invention is to effect the extraction with as little handling of the Thgigreen garbage to the condition in which it is" generally collected; that is without any heating or simiwith the fat whichis mostly in the form of globules, each comprising 'asort of closed cell or sack containing fat, which sacks must MATERIALS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented M 22 .1921 Application filed May 15, 1919. Serial 110.}297312.

- be separated from one another and individ ually ruptured to insure full extraction by the solvent.

It is chiefly because of these difficulties with green (garbage that the present day practice has generally included preliminary operations, such as heating or extended dry ing; which as compared with our process bleached. ,Our process, taking the garba e in the form of a wet mass as'it general y occurs, saves preliminary expense; and, op-

erating always at a comparatively low term perature, produces a light colored grease with low fatty acid content and of the best quality.

' To accomplish the above objectand Such 7 other objects as will appear in the followingdescription we place .the material from which ase is tobe extracted in an extractor an ;8() create therein a negative pressure";

(say about 1' or 2 pounds absolute pressure,

or 12 or 14: pounds below atmospheric), and

then relieve this negative pressure rapidly the material is then placed under-a pressure of about 60. to 100 pounds aboveatmospheric maintained for some time depending on the nature of the material and this pressure is then relieved rapidly. These operations of 1 subjecting the material vfirst to negative and then; to .positive pressure with sudden relief, maybe reversed without substantially 1 v changing the effectof cell rupture. which reference is I made herein, and to which this invention is preferably applied, is a mass of garbage in The ,material is then placed again under positive, pressure (say of 20 to 30 pounds above atmospheric) and is caused to be prac tically submerged in a suitable fat-solvent such as gasolenejbenzol, ether,- etc.

to about 60 to 100' pheric. The material in the extractor is allowed to re ain for some time, depending upon its character, under the increased pressure, and preferabl at.a tem erature below, or not much excee ing 50 After remaining submerged for some time at this pressure the pressure is materially increased pounds above atmos' Our theory. of the actions which take. place within the mass isthe following, but

whether this theory be inaccurate in whole orin part, we have found that the process gives a greater grease extractionthan any other process with which we are familiar, and secures its results without any heating of the material WhlCll might injuriously affect the quality of the fats obtained, so that such fats are of better quality and whiter;

in appearance than any which we have here:

several ruptured cells and into the interstices of the'material. Then when the solvent is introduced and the pressure increased 'to 60 or 100 pounds the solvent is forced also 'into the ruptured cells and interstices, where it dissolves the fats, and the air therein is further compressed. And when this pressure is again relieved the compressed air in Instead of the above described treatment the cellsand interstices assists in expelling. the solvent and. the dissolved fat therefrom, so that such solvent can all or nearly all be withdrawn from the mass.

g The pressures app-lied to the material are pressures of air or gas and maybe produced by any suitable means.

in connection with the solvent, we may proceed as follows.

. at atmospheric pressure, the pressure is then increased by 20 or 30 pounds to compress the air already in the broken cellsand interstices of the mass, and then a vacuum of say 2 pounds absolute is produced and causes the compressed air in the broken cells and interstices to expand with the same effect as before described; the important point-being the differential or comparative pressure which causes the air to expel the solvent with its dissolved grease and which is "equally effective Whether the absolute pressures be above or below atmospheric.-

Depending chiefly on the nature of the material, the order in which the vacuum and pressure are applied before introducing the solvent may be varied without changing the principle involved. Thefollowing is a specific example of the process.

The process may be illustrated in greater detail in connection. with the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic representation of an apparatus which we have found to be suitable.

The solvent is introduced pump, and a solvent reservoir. The vessels .into which the solvent is drained from the extractor are not shown on the drawing.

The green garbage 'or other material to be treated is placed in the extractor through the upper door 1 to about the level a, the material resting on a perforated bottom 3. Starting with all valves closed, valves 4 and 5 are opened and the vacuum pump is operated, thus producing a vacuum in the extractor. After some time the large relief valve 16 is opened and the extractor brought again to atmospheric pressure. Valve 16 is then closed again and compressed air is pumped into the extractor. After a suitable time valve 16 is again opened and the as pressure relieved rapidly. Valve 16 is then closed. Valves 6 and 13 are opened and the air compressor is operated to raise the pressure in the extractor and in the solvent tank to a pressure greater than one atmosphere and preferably to about 30 pounds. Valves 4 and 13 are then closed and valves 9 and 12 are opened to allow the solvent to flow bv gravity from the solvent tank into the extractor until the material is entirely submerged in the solvent.

During this first period of the extraction the grease on the surfaces of the lumps and particles which make up the material is dissolved, while the pores and interstices of the particles are filled with compressed air which, at this stage, prevents the penetration of solvent into the garbage cells. Part of the cells are no doubt destroyed by the air pressure at this time, pennitting penetration to a certain extent of the solvent into the tissue.

After the extractor is filled with solvent all valves are closed, valves 8 and 10 are opened and the solvent pump is operated until the pressure in the extractor has been increased by several atmospheres and registers about 80 to 100 pounds. Or the same effect may be produced by closing all valves, then opening 4 and 5 and increasing the air pressure upon the upper surface of the solvent. This increased pressure causes a further rupturing of the cells and forces the solvent into the inner recesses of the mate rial and facilitates the action of the solvent on the grease. At the same time the air which was retained in the pores of the garbage is further compressed.

The pressure of about 80 to 100 pounds in the extractor is maintained for some time dc 128 pending upon the character of the material and the amount of grease therein. All valves are closed during this time except valve 7 which is opened to vent the solvent tank and produce atmospheric pressure therein 130 35 the residue of solvent, The introductionof regulate the temperature.

and then closed again. After a sufficient time has elapsed for the grease to be dissolved, the pressure in the extractor is relieved by opening valve 16. This reduction of pressure allows the compressed air in the pores of the material to expand to thus further rupture the cell walls and expel the solvent with'its dissolved grease. Valve 14 is then opened to drain off the solvent into a suitable receiving vessel.

After all solvent has been drained off the valves 5 and 14 areclosed, and the extractor is connected, by opening valve 15, to a suitable condenser, not shown in the drawing. The valve'll is then gradually opened to admit steam to the'extractor. The effect of the steam passing through the garbage residue 'is to remove any remaining solvent. After all the solvent has been steamed out the tankage is discharged through the door 2 and dried in the customary manner.

. The chief advantage of our process is: the securingof a thorough-penetration of the solvent. throughout the garbage without a preliminary heat treatment thereof sufficient to cause incipient decomposition of the fats and oils.

- The vessels for extraction and for drying I may be built according -to any one of a number of usual or suitable designs for such purposes, and may be in either a vertical or a horizontal position and steam jacketed to Where the ex tractor is steam jacketed it is. not necessary to pass steam through the garbage to remove stea'm into the jacket Will drive 0a the, re-

. sidual solvent and also the moisture if it be desired to drythe garbage in the extractor. Var ous modifications may be made in our process as above.described,with such changes for instancejmspecific pressures as may be tion, without necessary to accomplishthe desired extracdeparting from the scope of our'invention. I a

What we claim, is 1. The process'of extracting the fatty matter from garbage or other grease or oil-con- .taining material, which comprisesYfirst breaking the cells by variations of gaseous pressure thereon, and then subjecting the material to the action of the fat-solvent and then reducing the external pressure in comparison with the internal pressure to cause the expulsion of the dissolved grease from the small pores and cells and separating the solvent withits dissolved grease from the residue. 1

2. glhe process of extracting the fatty matter from garbage and other grease or oilcontainin material, which comprises sub jecting said material at substantially atmospheric temperature to a comparatively high gaseous pressure and then, while under such igh pressure, to the action of a fatat substantially atmospheric temperature to a fat-solvent under a high gaseous pressure sufiicient to force the solvent into a large proportion of the cells and interstic'es of the material, maintainingthe pressure for a time long enough to allow the fatty matter to be dissolved, and then relieving the pressure and separating the solvent with its dissolved fatty matter from the solid residue.

4;. The process of extracting the fatty mat ter from garbage and other grease or oilcontaining material, which comprises subjecting the mass of said material to be treated to a high gaseous pressure and to the action of a fat-solvent while keeping the temperature below a point at which appreciable decomposition of the fatty matter would occur, and then relieving the pressure and separating the solvent with its dissolved grease from the solid r'esidue.

5. The process of extracting the fatty matter from garbage and other grease or oil-containing material, which comprises subjecting the garbage or other refuse to a high gaseous pressure at substantially atmospheric pressure causing the material to become submerged in. a fat-solvent while maintaining said pressure, then materially increasing the pressure on said garbage and solvent to force the solvent into the inner cells and interstices of the garbage, and then relieving the pressure and separating the solvent with fatty matter dissolved therein from the garbage residue.

I 6. The 'process of 'xtracting. the fatty matter from garbage and other grease or oil-containing material, which comprises subjecting the mass under treatmentv to var1- ations of gaseous pressure in the absence of a solvent, then to a fat-solvent under a high pressure sufficient to force the solvent into containing material, which comprises subjecting said material successively toa' high and low gaseous pressure followed 1n each case by asudden return of the pressure to atmospheric pressure, then subjectin said material to a high pressure and 'to t e action of a fat-solvent while keeping the temperature below a point at which appreciable decomposition of the fatty matter would occur, and then relieving the pressure and separating the solvent with its dissolved grease from the solid residue.

8. In the process of extracting the fatty matter from garbage and other grease or oil containing material by means of a solvent,

the preliminary steps which comprise sub-.

jecting the mass of material under treatment in the absence of the solvent to alternatelyhigher or lower gaseous pressures.

9. In the process of extracting the fattymatter from garbage and other grease or oil containing material by means of a solvent, the preliminary steps which comprise subjecting the mass of material under treatment I in the absence of a solvent to gaseous pressures which are alternately above and below the normal pressure each being followed by a return of pressure to normal suddenly so as to break the cell structure by the resulting differences between the internal and exwhile maintaining said pressure, then materially increasing the pressure on said arbage and solvent to force the solvent lnto the inner cells and interstices of the gar- 7 bage, and then relieving the pressure and separating the solvent with fatty matter dissolved therein from the-garbage residue, the

process being carried out at a temperature below that at which thefatty matter begins to decompose. r

11. The process of extracting grease from garbage which comprises subjecting the garbags to an air-pressure of several atmospheres, submergin the garbage in a fatsolvent wh1le maintaining said pressure,

of solvent and garbage by several more at mospheres and maintaining the latter pressure for a suitable time, then relieving the pressure and removing the solvent with its dissolved grease from the garbage residue,

and finally subjecting the garbage residue to a current ofsteam to remove the remaining portion of solvent and grease and effect a rendering of said garbage.

13. The process of extracting grease from garbage which comprises maintaining the garbage under a gaseous pressure of about thirty pounds while causing the garbage to become permeated with a fat-solvent, then increasing the pressure to about eighty to one hundred pounds to force the solvent into the inner cells and recesses of the garbage, and then relieving the pressure and draining off the solvent with its dissolved grease, the process being carried out at a temperature below about C.

14. The process of extracting grease from garbage which comprises subjecting a mass of the same in green condition to alternately higher and lower gaseous pressures in the absence ofa solvent to break the cells thereof and then subjecting the mass to the action of a solvent and separating the solvent with its dissolved grease from the residue.

In witness whereof, We have hereunto signed our names.

VLADIMIR BREDLIK. LOUIS o; WHITON, JR. 

